Denver Nuggets two-way player Torrey Craig, who’s averaging 25.7 points per game in the G League, was transferred from the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Tuesday and will be available for Denver’s 8 p.m. MST (ESPN) matchup against the Utah Jazz, the team announced.
Craig, 26, is president of basketball operations Tim Connelly’s latest find from outside the United States. The 6-foot-6 wing was the Most Valuable Player of New Zealand’s National Basketball League last season and impressed Nuggets’ brass at Summer League in July.
Craig earned one of Denver’s two-way contracts shortly thereafter, which allows him to spend 45 days with the Nuggets this season.
In six games for Sioux Falls, Craig posted gaudy numbers. On Monday, he tallied 35 points on 13-19 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and three assists. Craig’s best game of the season came against the Delaware 87ers when he scored 37 points and went 4-9 from three-point distance.
On the season, Craig is averaging 25.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. He’s also shooting above 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. Craig appeared in four preseason games for Denver. His best outing came against the Lakers when he played eight minutes, scored three points, recorded two rebounds and two steals.
“He isn’t a two-way (contract) player, that’s what he is right now, but make no mistake, he is an NBA player,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Craig at training camp. “He shoots the three-ball very well. He moves very well without the ball which is a great asset when you are playing with the bigs that we have. Torrey has been a stud. I told him, ‘Don’t get a fat head. Keep on working, and keep being the consistent player you’ve been for the past three months for us.’ I am a huge Torrey Craig fan.”
Craig’s recall comes as starting small forward Wilson Chandler continues to deal with lower back pain. Chandler missed Denver’s Nov. 20 win in Sacramento but returned two days later in Houston and played 27 minutes.
Chandler’s back continued to give him trouble in Denver’s win over Memphis on Friday. He played 23 minutes, scored five points on 2-4 shooting against the Grizzlies but Juancho Hernangomez closed the game at small forward in Chandler’s place. Chandler will not play Tuesday night in Utah.
In Craig, the Nuggets are getting an athletic wing who can guard four positions. Craig’s stats are slightly inflated, and the defenses he was playing against aren’t near NBA-caliber. But Craig’s 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame were too much for G League defenders to handle.
Craig has NBA-level athleticism, and at times, he looked like LeBron James on a G League court. Here, he starts his gather at the three-point line.
He’s also an NBA-caliber defender. Craig has good length and quickness. The 26-year-old’s shot looks promising too.
Craig’s stay with the Nuggets might be a quick one. On his current contract, Craig can only spend 45 days with Denver. The Nuggets would need an open roster spot, which they don’t currently have, to convert his contract to a minimum deal if they want him to cross that threshold.
But Craig could have a role Tuesday in Utah without Chandler and going forward if the Nuggets’ starting three misses time.
